General questions on Dominican Republic (and other areas)

[danattherock]

Any Carribean suggestions? Looking for trip ideas...

Let me preface this with saying I have never played golf in the Carribean. I am interested to hear of any suggestions although I am asking about DR. Anyone visited an area of the Carribean and had a good experience, please tell me about it. I have a desire to take the wife to some warm locales with golfing and perhaps some fishing on the menu.

I saw Casa De Campa on The Golf Channel and it got me interested.

Curious how you fly there as I couldn't find any flights from NC that could get me there in one day. Looked like 20 hour lay overs in Puerto Rico.

Also, could you tell me about the area in general and the people. Safe place? I have not traveled in this area before and want to be sure it is an area my wife and I would like.

I am curious what time of year would be good. Any info at all would be helpful.

We play Pinehurst area courses and spend lots of time down at Myrtle Beach. Trying to get out and see some other areas. Feel free to reply in months to come as I have my email notification set on for replies on this thread. Hoping to take the wife to some new areas.

Thanks for any thoughts this thread may generate.


Dan

[arydolphin]

Dan,
It doesn't look like this forum gets much activity, but I'll try to help you out. First of all, I haven't been to Casa de Campo, but the courses get pretty good reviews in terms of rankings in the Caribbean. Example: http://www.golfweek.com/news/2009/nov/12/2010-golfweeks-best-caribbean-courses/

Looks like the airport closest to Casa de Campo, La Romana, is a bit tough to get to because American is pretty much the only airline that goes there. You'd have a much easier time going to Santo Domingo or Punta Cana. If you're close to Charlotte, you can go to that airport and get to Punta Cana nonstop on US Airways; I'm headed to Punta Cana in December and flying through Charlotte. If you're still looking for information after December, I can send it along to you after I get back from there.

I went to Jamaica last year, stayed at a great resort called Half Moon, and played 3 courses that were all within 15 minutes of one another: Half Moon, Cinnamon Hill, and White Witch. I went with my wife, my brother and his girlfriend, and my parents, and all of us had a great time. We flew into Montego Bay and the drive to the resort was about 20 minutes, which was another plus of that location. I've heard that some parts of the Montego Bay area aren't all that safe, but we never felt that when we were down there, and most people say that if you use common sense about where you go, you shouldn't have a problem.

I've also been to Mexico a couple of times, and really enjoy the Playa Del Carmen area that is south of Cancun. I had a chance to play the Mayakoba course (PGA Tour stop) and had a blast 3 years ago, the greens were some of the best I've ever played on. That's another area to look in to, and there are lots of airlines that compete on the routes to Cancun, so the prices of the flights usually aren't really bad. I also felt pretty safe down there.

I can't tell you anything about fishing at any of those places, but I'm sure a good resort would be able to arrange something for you.

Feel free to respond to this thread or PM me if you have questions.

[danattherock]

Thanks man. Wonderful info and just what I was hoping for. We are very near Charlotte, thanks for the US Airway suggestion to DR. Much easier logistics than I first saw online at Orbitz. I would love to hear how your trip in Dec goes. Email me at [email="[email protected]"][email protected][/email] if you find time afterwards. My wife and I work on Nantucket and have been here for 4 years. Get home to NC every 3 months for 3-4 weeks. Getting chilly up here man.


-Dan

[scs1070]

I played Roco Ki Golf Club in Punta Cana last year. Really nice track. Its pretty new and didnt have everything build up around it yet, but I enjoyed it.

[touchk]

Try the new Moon Palace in Punta Cana. Nicklaus design that was opened this year. Also, Cap Cana is a great choice. I liked Casa de Campo for it's history, design and is an overall unique place. They have several courses there and you can see some of the golf on Big Break. Nobody in the Caribbean will give up their ocean front real estate like the DR. Take the flight into Punta Cana. It might be the best airport in the Caribbean.

Ahhhh... Puerto Rico.......Probably the best turf on the island is CoCo Beach. There are several track's on the eastern end of the island you can play and another is the Rio Mar courses. One was designed by Norman and the other is a Fazio. The economy there has been kind of dragging lately so don't expect pristine conditions on any of them. If you can score a good deal, try staying at the El Conquistador, preferably around a full moon. Absolutely spectacular views while having dinner at night. Good luck! You can't go wrong being in the islands during this time of year. December will begin price increases as the weather gets really good.

Cheers!

[doodle_doodle]

[quote name='touchk' timestamp='1288309476' post='2764091']
Try the new Moon Palace in Punta Cana. Nicklaus design that was opened this year. Also, Cap Cana is a great choice. I liked Casa de Campo for it's history, design and is an overall unique place. They have several courses there and you can see some of the golf on Big Break. Nobody in the Caribbean will give up their ocean front real estate like the DR. Take the flight into Punta Cana. It might be the best airport in the Caribbean.

Ahhhh... Puerto Rico.......Probably the best turf on the island is CoCo Beach. There are several track's on the eastern end of the island you can play and another is the Rio Mar courses. One was designed by Norman and the other is a Fazio. The economy there has been kind of dragging lately so don't expect pristine conditions on any of them. If you can score a good deal, try staying at the El Conquistador, preferably around a full moon. Absolutely spectacular views while having dinner at night. Good luck! You can't go wrong being in the islands during this time of year. December will begin price increases as the weather gets really good.

Cheers!
[/quote]

With the exception of this past year, I have traveled to the DR extensively for the past 7 years. There is a lot to be said, good and bad, about the place. I've been mainly to the northern coast near the Puerto Plata area and I've been on the southern coast in the Santo Domingo area. I've played at a place called Playa Grande which some have called the Pebble Beach of the Caribbean, I played at Las Aromas in Santiago and at Los Mangos in Costambar. I really liked Playa Grande as it is right on the coast with dramatic cliffs, some challenging and breathtaking tee shots. I wasn't that crazy about Las Aromas but it was much cheaper to play than Playa Grande. I'd say that Los Mangos in Costambar is similar to run down stateside muni.

Most tourists go to the eastern coast of the island near Punta Cana. I like the adventure and experience of mixing with and learning from the local people so I don't stay at an all-inclusives. If I were bringing my wife, however, then I would stay at an all-inclusive but I would still get out off the compound to mix with the people. Check out this forum for more info on the DR - many expats there would be happy to give you advice on planning your trip: www.dr1.com. Good luck!

[dpb5031]

Been going to the DR for golf trips with 7 of my buddies for ten years now. We always went to Casa de Campo and had wonderful times. To get to Casa de Campo you fly into La Romana airport. It can be tough to find direct flights so you usually connect in San Juan or Miami.


Two of the guys I go with recently built a villa in Cap Cana. It is much easier to find direct flights to Punta Cana and Cap Cana is only a ten minute drive from the airport. Punta Espada (the Nicklaus signature course at Cap Cana) is arguably the best golf course in the Caribbean. Another GolfWRXER recently posted a review with some nice photos, so if you do a search you can check out Punta Espada.